Kelly Komara and Tasha Taylor Join #MUWBB as Assistant Coaches
6/16/2021 10:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
They come to MU from Vanderbilt and Elon, respectively
MILWAUKEE - The Marquette University women's basketball program has announced the hiring of Kelly Komara and Tasha Taylor as assistant coaches. Komara comes to MU after spending the past five seasons at Vanderbilt University as an associate head coach (2018-21) and assistant coach (2016-18). Taylor spent the past eight seasons as an assistant coach at Elon University. They join coach Duffy and assistant coach Justine Raterman to complete MU's coaching staff.
"Our Marquette family continues to grow with the exciting additions of Kelly Komara and Tasha Taylor," Duffy said. "They will be incredible assets to our program because of their work ethic, experience and winning mentality. Both coaches have been in these players shoes and know what it takes to be successful at a high level, and I have so much respect for who they are as leaders, mentors and teachers. Kelly and Tasha will continue to raise the bar here at Marquette on the national scene."
Komara has proven herself to be an exceptional recruiter and developer of talent. From 2017-19, she helped sign three consecutive recruiting classes that ranked in the top-20 nationally. In her five years at Vandy, she recruited and coached seven SEC All-Conference selections, notably helping Chelsie Hall to a spot on the SEC All-Freshman team in 2017-18. In 2019-20, Jordyn Cambridge led the league in steals and earned SEC All-Defensive team honors.
A specialist in guard play and development, in 2019-20 Komara oversaw the first Commodore duo to post more than 100 assists apiece in nearly a decade. Hall led the team with 117 assists, while Cambridge became the first Vanderbilt player with 100+ assists (105) and 80+ steals (85) in a season in over two decades. Komara also served as the team's defensive coordinator, director of non-conference scheduling, head of scouting and the liaison to the strength and conditioning coach.
Prior to her time in Nashville, Komara served two-year stints as an assistant coach at both Purdue (2014-16) and Albany (2012-14). She helped lead Purdue to a 20-12 (10-8 B1G) record in 2015-16 and an NCAA tournament berth. She coached four All-B1G honorees and brought in the ninth ranked recruiting class in 2015. In her two years at Albany, she helped the team to two NCAA tournament berths while achieving a combined 55-9 (32-1 America East) record. She recruited and developed 14 all-league selections, including two players of the year and a defensive player of the year.
Komara has also worked at Valparaiso, Auburn and Northwestern in a variety of roles. She played her college ball at Purdue, where she finished as Purdue's all-time leader in single-season steals with 120 in 2002. She also ranked No. 12 on Purdue's all-time scoring list (1,266 career points), No. 3 in career steals (297), No. 5 in career made threes (137), and No. 8 in career assists (402) at the time of her graduation.Â
"I'll never forget watching Kelly as a player accomplish so much. She coaches the same way with incredible heart and passion for her players. Kelly's experience and knowledge of the game will make an immediate impact on our program. It will be terrific to see her back home in the Midwest," Duffy said.
Tasha Taylor arrives at MU after an excellent run of success as an assistant at Elon. During her time there, the team made four postseason appearances, including back-to-back NCAA tournament bids in 2017 and 2018. The Phoenix won the 2017 CAA regular season title and the 2017 and 2018 conference tournament titles. Taylor also helped them earn consecutive WNIT appearances in 2015 and 2016.
"I am ecsatic about having the opportunity to work for a rising star in our women's game," Taylor said. "Coach Duffy displays impeccable character, passion and knowledge of the game. On top of that, Marquette is a highly-rated university with a championship culture. I am eager to join a hard-working staff as we work for continued success."
Taylor helped recruit and develop a CAA Defensive Player of the Year, four CAA All-Conference selections and a CAA Rookie of the Year during her time there. Her coaching responsibilities included spearheading recruiting efforts, perimeter player development, scouting, coordinating video services, running summer youth camps and serving as the team liaison to the athletic training staff.
Prior to her time at Elon, she worked for two years as an assistant at Limestone College, helping the team to an NCAA Elite Eight appearance after winning both the conference regular season and conference tournament titles. She started her career in coaching in 2009 at Lees-McRae College, where she worked until 2012.
"Tasha is a rising star in the business," Duffy said. "She has proven to leave her mark on every program she has come in contact with. She has done a great job developing relationships with her players and in recruiting. Her ability to take on many different roles within a program will add so much value to what we do here at Marquette."
The Columbus, Ga., native played her college ball at Clemson from 2005-09, where she was a four-year starter for the Tigers. She ranks fourth all-time in Clemson history with 433 career assists and fifth all-time with 3.70 assists per game. Taylor led the Tigers in assists during her sophomore and senior campaigns and was named the team's Defensive Player of the Year in 2005-06 while also earning the Playmaker Award following the 2005-06 and 2008-09 seasons.
Keep up with the Marquette women's basketball program through social media by following on Twitter (@MarquetteWBB) and Instagram (@marquettewbb) and `liking' on Facebook (/MarquetteWBB).